ATINER CONFERENCE PRESENTATION SERIES No ...ATINER CONFERENCE PRESENTATION SERIES No: BYZ2019-0133 3...

ATINER CONFERENCE PRESENTATION SERIES No: BYZ2019-0133

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ATINER’s Conference Paper Proceedings Series

BYZ2019-0133

Athens, 11 July 2019

The tradition of the Geoponika: A comparative study with

Anaṭūliyūs’ Book

Tadashi Ito

Athens Institute for Education and Research

8 Valaoritou Street, Kolonaki, 10683 Athens, Greece

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ATINER’s Conference Paper Proceedings Series

BYZ2019-0133

Athens, 11 July 2019

ISSN: 2529-167X

Tadashi Ito, Professor Emeritus, Kagoshima University, Japan

The Tradition of the Geoponika: A Comparative Study with

Anaṭūliyūs’ Book

ABSTRACT

A number of Greek originals were translated into Arabic at the institution

called the "House of wisdom" in early Abbasid period. The primary source of

the Geoponika compiled in the 10th century is πεπὶ γεωπγίαρ ἐκλογαί

compiled by Cassianos Bassos in the 6th century, but the Greek original of

ἐκλογαί does not exist. In addition, the primary source of ἐκλογαί is two

agricultural books compiled by Anatolios and Didymos in the 4th

century (i. e.

Anatolios‟ συναγωγὴ γεωργικῶν

ἐπιτηδευμάτων and Didymos‟ γεωργικά), but the Greek originals of both of them also do not exist. However, the originals

of Cassianos and Anatolios were translated from the Greek into Arabic in

early Abbasid period, and today those Arabic versions are extant. The

former is known as kitāb al-filāḥa ar-rūmīya (Qusṭūs = Cassianos) which

was translated from the Greek by Sirǧīs b.Hilīyā ar-Rūmī in 9th

century.

The latter was translated directly from the Greek into Arabic in 8th

century

and transmitted as kitāb al-filāḥa (Anaṭūliyūs=Anatolios). In this paper we

shall conclude that our Arabic manuscripts (probably kitāb al-filāḥa of

Anaṭūliyūs) discovered by P. Sabth constitute an excerpt abridged from the

Arabic original text of Anatolios, and that the Synagoge of Anatolios was

incorporated as the primary source of the Eklogai compiled by Cassianos

in the 6th

century and the Eklogai as the primary source of the Geoponika

compiled in the 10th

century.

Keywords: Geoponika, Anaṭūliyūs, Synagoge, Ǫusṭūs, Eklogai.


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The Geoponika is an agricultural encyclopedia. It was one of a series of

similar encyclopedia, excerpted or compiled from ancient writings, that put

together under the auspices of Byzantine (East Roman) emperor Constantine

Ⅶ polpurogennetos (913- 959). The text in its present form dates from the mid-tenth century. Selections on Agriculture (πεπὶ γεωπγίαρ ἐκλογαί) compiled by

one Cassianos Bassos Scholasticos in the 6th

century are generally named the

Geoponika and three Greek editions are: by Brassicanus Basileae 1539, by

Needham Cantabrigiae 1704, and by Niclas Lipsiae1781.1 Today, the Greek

original of the Eklogai does not exist. But it was translated into Arabic twice:

initially from Pahlavi not later than the 7th

century, and subsequently directly

from the Greek in the 9th

century. And the Greek original of the Synagoge is

also not extant, but it was translated directly from the Greek into Arabic in the

8th century and its manuscript is extant.

In this paper we shall examine whether the kitāb al-filāḥa of Anatolios (i.e.

the Synagoge) is incorporated as the primary source of the Eklogai (i.e. the

Geoponika) or not, and that how much the Eklogai relies on the Synagoge by

comparing the former with the latter. And we also shall examine whether our

Arabic manuscripts constitute an excerpt abridged from the Arabic original text

of Anatolios or not. At the end, we shall consider the philological tradition of

the Geoponika.

2.

First, one manuscript of this translation entitled kitāb filaḥat al-arḍ by

Abṭroliūs was found by P. Sbath.2 He regards Abṭroliūs appearing in the title

as Anaṭūliyūs (i.e. Anatolios).3 From the introduction of this manuscript (Fol.

1 vv.1-10, Fol. 2 vv.1-4) we can see the followings:

1. This is the book of Anaṭūliyūs. (Fol. 1 v.2) 2. In 179/795 Yaḥyā ibn-Ḵālid ibn-Barmak commissioned the Patriarch of

Alexandria, the bishop of Damascus and the monk Eustathios (Ūsṭāt) to

translate it directly from the Greek into Arabic. (Fol. 1 vv.6-8)

3. This book is the collection excerpted and compiled from ancient writers, “Hippocrates, Aristotle, Erasistratos, Herodotus, Democritus, Galen,

1 The most recent edition is H. Beckh, Geoponica sive Cassiani Bassi scholastici de re rustica

eclogae, Leipzig 1895. This paper uses that of Beckh. 2 Sbath 1930-31, 47-54 (with Arabic texts). This manuscript dates from 839/1436. Cf. Sbath

1930-31, 48. 3 Ibid. 48. On the contrary Sezgin 1971, 308, 315 says that this is not Anatolius, but Ps.-

Apollonius (Balīnās al-Ḥakīm). It seems to me that Abtrolius is Anatolius, not Apollonius,

because the Arabic scripts ب and ر in Abtrolius seem to be a slip of the pen for ن and و. See

Sbath 1930-31, 50.


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Africanus, Plutarch, Apuleius, Serapion4 and Asclepius.” (Fol. 1 vv.8-

10)

4. In this manuscript the book is in twelve books. (Fol. 2 vv.1-2)

Second, Photios (c. 810-c.893), Bibliotheca, cod. 163 reads as follows:

„Ἀνεγνώζθη Οὐϊνδανίος Ἀναηολίος Βηπύηος ζςναγωγὴ γεωπγικῶν

ἐπιηηδεςμάηων˙

Σςνήθποιζηαι δὲ [107 a] αὐηῷ ηὸ βιβλίον ἔκ ηε ηῶν Δημοκπίηος,

Ἀθπικανοῦ ηε καὶ

Ταπανηίνος καὶ Ἀποςληΐος καὶ Φλωπενηίος καὶ Οὐάλενηορ καὶ Λέονηορ

καὶ Παμθίλος, καὶ δὴ καὶ ἐκ ηῶν Διοθάνοςρ παπαδόξων‧ ηόμοι δέ εἰζι ηὸ βιβλίον ιβ´.‟

Photios‟ testimonies differ from them of the Arabic version. According to

Photios;

1. The author of this book is Vindanios Anatolios Berytos. 2. The collection is from ancient writers, “Democritus, Africanus,

Tarantinos, Apuleius, Florentius, Valens, Leon, Pamphilos, Diophanes ”

3. The work of Anatolios is in twelve books.

The author of this book is Anatolios, not Vindanios Anatolios Berytos.5 3

writers of 9 appearing in Photios‟ notice appear in Arabic version. If the

Synagoge of Anatolios consisted of 12 books, we can say that our Arabic

manuscripts constitute an excerpt abridged from the original text of Anatolios.6

3.

Next, we shall compare the manuscripts of the Synagoge with the

Geoponica, and then consider the similarity of contents between the former and

the latter. Table 1 shows how much the similarity of contents is (see Table 1

and Sources 1-6). The underline‟s number of the Geoponica conforms to that

of Folio 3-6. We can conclude from considerations of Table 1 and Sources 1-6

that there is more or less the substantial similarity of contents between them. In

addition:

1. We can see from Fol. 4. v.8 and Fol. 5. v.8 that “some” mentioned in Gp. 2. 3. 2 is Apuleius, and “the very wise” mentioned in Gp. 2. 48.3 is

Hippocrates.

2. 3 of 6 trees appearing in Gp. 2. 8. 2 apaear in Fol. 4. vv.9-13: ἰηέαι حور=λεῦκαι ,طرفاء=μςπίκαι ,صفصاف=

4 On the reading of Sotion, see Sbath no.1200

5 Ito 2017, 61-68. Anaṭūliyūs was al-Ifrīqī, not al-Bairūtī. According to ibn al-ʿAwwām,

Anatolios is written as Anaṭūliyūs al-Ifrīqī; see b. -ʿAwwām Filāḥa, 1 83, 8; 283, 19; 537, 19. 6 Sbath 1931, 50.


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3. The preposition من used in Fol. 5. v.4 comes from the preposition ἀπό used in Gp. 2. 8. 2.

Table 1

Anatolios’ Book 1 Geoponika

Similarit

y

Fol. 3(٣). vv.2-3 2. 2. 1 a little

Fol. 3. vv.5-7 2. 2. 2 some

Fol. 3. v.9-Fol. 4(٤). v.1 2. 3. 1 much

Fol. 4(٤). vv.1-4 2. 3. 2 much

Fol. 4. vv.4-6 2. 3. 4 some

Fol. 4. vv.6-8 2. 3. 6 some

Fol. 4. vv.10-11 2. 8. 1 some

Fol. 4. vv.11-12 2. 8. 2 much

Fol. 5(٥). vv.2-3 2. 7. 1 some

Fol. 5. vv.3-4 2. 7. 2 very much

Fol. 5. vv.7-9 2. 48. 1 some

Fol. 5. vv.9-11 2. 48. 2-3 a little

Fol. 6(٦). vv.2-3,4-5,5-6 2. 44. 2 some

Fol. 6. vv.7-8 2. 44. 3 a little

Fol. 6. vv.8-9 2. 44. 4 a little

Source 1: Fol. 3(٣). vv.2-6 and Gp. 2. 2. 1-2


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Source 2: Fol. 3(٣). v.9- Fol. 4(٤). vv.1-8 and Gp. 2. 3. 1-6


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Source 3: Fol. 4(٤). vv.10-12 and Gp. 2. 8. 1-2


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Source 4: Fol. 5(٥). vv.2-4 and Gp. 2. 7. 1-2


9

Source 5: Fol. 5(٥). vv.7-11 and Gp. 2. 48. 1-3


10

Source 6: Fol. 6(٦). vv.2-9 and Gp. 2. 44. 2-4


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On the one hand the Geoponika consists of 20 books and 621 chapters.

Each chapter has a chapter heading and 494 of the chapter headings also give

the names of the work and the author (in the genitive case); on the other the

book of Anatolios has also a chapter heading in each chapter, but all of them

does not give the names of the author (in the genitive case). The author‟s name

is sometimes indicated by “x said” x قال in the body of chapter. And about

chapter headings there is also the substantial similarity of contents between

them. Concerning Fol. 6(٦). v.2 and the chapter heading of Gp. 2. 44 (see

Source 6) M. Ullmann asserts that „das Lemma “Florentius” in Geopon. 2. 44

falsch ist. Den richtigen Namen “Demokritos” bietet die arabische

Übersetzung.‟7 Nevertheless, we cannot judge from only this case whether

what he says is right or not. Three of the 11 writers appearing in Fol. 1 vv.8-10

appear in Fol. 4 v. 6, Fol.5 v.7, and Fol.6 v.1: Apuleius, Hippocrates, and

Democritus. By the way Hippocrates appearing in Fol.5 v.7 differs from the

author (i.e. Didymos) appearing in the chapter heading of Gp. 2. 48.

7 Ullmann 1972, 431.


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To sum up: It is probable that our Arabic manuscripts constitute an excerpt

abridged from the Arabic original text of Anatolios, and that the Synagoge of

Anatolios was incorporated as the primary source of the Eklogai compiled by

Cassianos Bassos in the 6th

century and the Eklogai as the primary source of

the Geoponika compiled in the 10th

century. It seems that close relation and

similarity between the Geoponika and the Arabic version prove it. It also

appears that the Anatolios‟ Book 1 is equivalent to Gp. 2; therefore Gp.1 is not

from our Arabic manuscripts.

References

Ito T. (2017) „On Anatolios in the Geoponika: one author or three?‟, BZ 110, 61-8.

Sbath P. (1930-31) „L‟ ouvrage géoponipue d‟ Anatolius de Bérytos (Ⅳe siècle), manuscrit arabe découvert‟, Bulletin de l’Institut d’Égypte 13, 47-54.

Sbath P. (1934) Bibliothèque de Manuscrits Paul Sbath, Ⅲ (Caoro).

Sezgin F. (1971) Geschichte des Arabischen Schrifttums, Ⅳ (Leiden). Ullmann M. (1972) Die Natur- und Geheimwissenschaften im Islam, Handbuch der

Orientalistik, Ergänzungsband Ⅵ, 2 (Leiden)

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